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Health Minister: No mad cow risk in Turkey

Health Minister Recep Akdag said they\'ve taken all necessary measures against mad cow disease, noting there were no mad cow incidents in Turkey for the time being.

Akdag replied to questions from the press after a meeting in Ankara. He said that the disease has been encountered for the first time in the U.S. and that the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Ministry has halted livestock imports as a measure.

He said they were not importing livestock from European countries also, underlining that they have taken all the necessary measures.Health workers\' protest

Asked to comment on the health workers\' recent protest, Akdag said, \"We believe that we could solve our problems through dialogue and in cooperation with each other.\"

Health workers who complained about bad working conditions and poor salaries, quit working all over the country for one day this week to protest government policies on health, only the emergency services continued to function.

He said it was not possible to think in exactly the same way, though they favored to be in joint efforts with health workers to solve the problems.

Istanbul Chamber of Doctors Chairman Gencay Gursoy previously said that the government rejected the doctor\'s call for dialogue.

After a question noting if they will start legal procedures on the health workers attending the protest, Akdag said, \"If the health services are interrupted and patients are victimized, then we will do what is necessary.\"